Sharing video content from a set top box through a mobile phone

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a device that facilitates sharing, by a mobile phone user, content that the user has viewed on a television coupled to a media processor. A message is initiated via a messaging client of the mobile phone, and a video clip is obtained by the mobile phone from the media processor. Additional video content provided at the mobile phone is attached to the video clip. The format of the video clip is converted to enable presentation of the converted video clip at a recipient device; the converted video clip is transmitted to the recipient device via the messaging client. The media processor and the mobile phone form a natively integrated device, so that a video clip of the content can be produced and transmitted without installation of an application on the mobile phone.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/926,002, filed Mar. 20, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/475,862, filed Mar. 31, 2017 (now U.S. Pat. No.9,955,225), which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The subject disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for sharingvideo content from a set top box through a mobile phone.

BACKGROUND

Viewers of video content (including broadcast television, Pay TV,video-on-demand or VOD, etc.) often wish to share what they see withothers. A smartphone's video recording feature can be used to capturecontent as it is presented on a television screen, but with significantend user effort and a reduction in audio and video quality. Asmartphone's sharing features typically are used for content beingdisplayed at the smartphone, rather than at a separate device such as atelevision.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a system for using a messaging clientof a mobile phone to share a video clip representing content viewed on atelevision, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a procedure in which the system of FIG.1 is used to transmit a customized video clip to a recipient device, inaccordance with embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for sharing video contentthrough a mobile phone, in accordance with embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIGS. 4-6 depict illustrative embodiments of communication systems thatprovide media services used in performing the procedures of FIGS. 2 and3;

FIG. 7 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a web portal forinteracting with the communication systems of FIGS. 4-6;

FIG. 8 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device; and

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrativeembodiments for facilitating sharing, by a mobile phone user, contentthat the user has viewed on a television coupled to a media processor.The media processor and the mobile phone form a natively integrateddevice, so that a video clip of the content can be produced andtransmitted without installation of an application on the mobile phone.Other embodiments are described in the subject disclosure.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a methodcomprising receiving, by a processing system including a processor of amobile phone, a first signal indicating that sharing of a portion ofvideo content is to be performed; the video content is presented at adisplay device coupled to a media processor and the media processor isseparate from the mobile phone. The method also comprises receiving asecond signal initiating a message via a messaging client of the mobilephone; obtaining the portion of video content from a first cacheaccessible to the media processor; presenting the portion of videocontent at the mobile phone; and receiving a third signal representingat least one of a start time and a stop time defining an endpoint of avideo clip from the portion of video content. The method furthercomprises attaching to the video clip additional video content providedat the mobile phone, thereby producing an extended video clip. Themethod further comprises converting a format of the extended video clip,thereby producing a converted video clip and enabling presentation ofthe converted video clip at a recipient device. The method alsocomprises transmitting the converted video clip to the recipient devicevia the messaging client. The media processor and the mobile phonecomprise a natively integrated device; accordingly, the converted videoclip is acquired, produced and transmitted without installation of anapplication on the mobile phone being required.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a devicecomprising a processing system including a processor, and a memory thatstores executable instructions that, when executed by the processingsystem, facilitate performance of operations. The operations comprisereceiving a first signal at a processor of a mobile phone indicatingthat sharing of a portion of video content is to be performed; the videocontent is presented at a display device coupled to a media processorseparate from the mobile phone. The operations also comprise receiving asecond signal initiating a message via a messaging client of the mobilephone; obtaining the portion of video content from a first cacheaccessible to the media processor; presenting the portion of videocontent at the mobile phone; and receiving a third signal representingat least one of a start time and a stop time defining an endpoint of avideo clip from the portion of video content. The operations furthercomprise editing the video clip in accordance with user input at themobile phone; attaching to the video clip additional video contentprovided at the mobile phone to produce an extended video clip; andconverting a format of the extended video clip, thereby producing aconverted video clip and enabling presentation of the converted videoclip at a recipient device. The operations also comprise transmittingthe converted video clip to the recipient device via the messagingclient. The media processor and the mobile phone comprise a nativelyintegrated device; accordingly, the converted video clip is acquired,produced and transmitted without installation of an application on themobile phone being required, and the media processor and the mobilephone are mutually authenticated.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a machine-readablestorage medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed bya processing system including a processor, facilitate performance ofoperations. The operations comprise receiving a first signal at aprocessor of a mobile phone; the first signal indicates that sharing ofa portion of video content is to be performed, and the video contentcomprises content presented at a display device and viewed by a user ofthe mobile phone; the display device is coupled to a media processorseparate from the mobile phone. The operations also comprise receiving asecond signal initiating a message via a messaging client of the mobilephone; obtaining the portion of video content from a first cacheaccessible to the media processor; presenting the portion of videocontent at the mobile phone; receiving a third signal representing atleast one of a start time and a stop time defining an endpoint of avideo clip from the portion of video content; and attaching to the videoclip additional video content provided at the mobile phone, therebyproducing an extended video clip. The operations further compriseconverting a format of the extended video clip, thereby producing aconverted video clip and enabling presentation of the converted videoclip at a recipient device. The operations also comprise transmittingthe converted video clip to the recipient device via the messagingclient; the user is a first subscriber to a content provider system incommunication with the media processor, and the recipient device is amobile device of a second subscriber to the content provider system. Themedia processor and the mobile phone comprise a natively integrateddevice; accordingly, the converted video clip is acquired, produced andtransmitted without installation of an application on the mobile phonebeing required.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a system 100 in which a mobile phone102 (e.g. a smartphone) can obtain video content 105 from a mediaprocessor 101 (e.g. a set top box or STB); the media processor alsodelivers the video content for viewing at a television display (notshown) coupled to the media processor. In this embodiment, the nativefunctions of the mobile phone 102 are integrated with the mediaprocessor 101, so that the mobile phone 102 and media processor 101 forma natively integrated device 110. It will be appreciated that since thenative functions of the media processor and mobile phone are integrated,installation of an application on the mobile phone is not required forthe mobile phone to obtain the video content from the STB. In addition,the video content 105 does not need to be presented for viewing at themobile phone; in this embodiment, a user of the mobile phone can viewthe video content at the television display, but might or might not viewthe content within a mobile application.

In an embodiment, the STB 101 obtains content from a remote contentprovider, and keeps a cache 106 of recently viewed content (for example,the last 10 minutes of content delivered to the television display). Inthis embodiment, the mobile phone 102 obtains the video content 105 fromthe cache 106. In a further embodiment, the STB can make the cachedcontent available to another authorized client device.

The video content 105 (or a portion thereof) can be shared with otherdevices via the network 150, using a messaging feature of thesmartphone. In this embodiment, a new message can be initiated using thenative messaging feature 108 of the smartphone. The video content 105obtained from the cache 106 can then be edited at the mobile phone toproduce a video clip 120 suitable for transmission to other devices viathe network 150. The video clip 120 may or may not include all of thecontent 105, and may include additional content entered via the mobilephone. It will be appreciated that the sharing of the content (in thisembodiment, transmission of the video clip 120 via messaging) and theconsumption of the content (that is, viewing at the television display)can occur at separate locations. Furthermore, it will be appreciatedthat sharing can be performed without installing a smartphoneapplication for viewing the content.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a system 200 in which a user 210 ofsmartphone 102 is watching a program on television 203 coupled to STB101, and sees something interesting to share with another user 220. Inthis embodiment, the STB receives the program content from a contentprovider system to which the user 210 is a subscriber, and the STB 101and the smartphone 102 are associated with the same subscriber account.The STB and the smartphone thus can have a native account levelauthentication (and accordingly be natively mutually authenticated).

In this embodiment, the STB stores recently viewed content (for example,the most recent 10 minutes that were viewed) in cache 106 at the STB.Alternatively, the content provider service can maintain a cache (e.g.in cloud storage) that is programmatically available to an authorizedclient.

To share the desired content, the user 210 opens the messaging client108 of the smartphone and initiates a new message 209. In thisembodiment, the messaging client presents the user with an option tosend an attachment with the message. The user can then select theattachment option, thereby invoking an attachment menu that can includean option “Add From TV.”

To produce a video clip for transmission to the smartphone 221 of user220, the user 210 selects “Add from TV” and is then presented with thecached content (in this embodiment, 10 minutes' most recently viewedcontent) along with editing controls. The editing controls can beactivated in response to the user's selection of the “Add from TV”option.

In this embodiment, the user 210 can select a start point and/or an endpoint for the video clip. The duration of the clip will typically belimited based on rights agreements. In an embodiment, rights managementis performed by a remotely located function of the content providersystem; if the user chooses one endpoint for the clip, the system willprovide the other end point so that the clip has an appropriateduration.

The user can customize the clip by setting color filters, setting apresentation speed, adding text labels and stickers, etc. Customizingfeatures can be invoked by the user via a user interface at thesmartphone and added by the remote system; alternatively, variousediting functions can be native to the smartphone.

In an embodiment, the user can add a self-recorded video to thebeginning and/or end of the clip. The user video can be created eitherbefore or after the content is obtained, and stored at the smartphone.In another embodiment, the smartphone can store previously obtained andcustomized content, which is then added to the clip.

In this embodiment, the video clip 120 includes the video content 204(with selected or prescribed endpoints) having custom features 205, anda user-supplied video 206 attached to the customized content. The clip120 is then converted to a format (for example, animated graphicsinterchange format) suitable for sending, via the native messagingservice of the smartphone 102, to recipient device 221. The recipientdevice 221 can thus present the clip 120 without the need to have anyspecial applications installed.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method 300 for sharingvideo content from a set top box through a mobile phone, using system100. In step 302, the STB receives content from the content providersystem and delivers that content for display at the TV. In step 304, theSTB also stores the recently delivered content in a cache (either localor remote).

The user views the content and decides to share it (step 306). The userinvokes the messaging client on his mobile device and initiates a newmessage (step 308). In this embodiment, the user is presented with amessaging menu at the mobile device (step 310) where one of the menuchoices is “Add from TV.” The user selects “Add from TV” (step 312)which results in the video clip being delivered to the mobile device(step 314). The user then edits and customizes the content (step 316)and adds self-recorded content (and/or other content cached at themobile device) to the clip (step 318).

The edited and customized clip is converted (step 320) to a format forsending via the messaging service of the mobile device, and thentransmitted to a recipient device (step 322), typically over a network.

While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the respectiveprocesses are shown and described as a series of blocks in FIG. 3, it isto be understood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter is notlimited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur indifferent orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what isdepicted and described herein. Moreover, not all illustrated blocks maybe required to implement the methods described herein.

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system 400for providing various communication services, such as delivering mediacontent. The communication system 400 can represent an interactive medianetwork, such as an interactive television system (e.g., an InternetProtocol Television (IPTV) media system). Communication system 400 canbe overlaid or operably coupled with the arrangements of FIGS. 1 and/or2 as another representative embodiment of communication system 400. Forinstance, one or more devices illustrated in the communication system400 of FIG. 4 can perform operations comprising receiving a first signalat a processor of a mobile phone indicating that sharing of a portion ofvideo content is to be performed, where the video content is presentedat a display device coupled to a media processor separate from themobile phone. The operations can also comprise receiving a second signalinitiating a message via a messaging client of the mobile phone;obtaining the portion of video content from a first cache accessible tothe media processor; presenting the portion of video content at themobile phone; and receiving a third signal representing at least one ofa start time and a stop time defining an endpoint of a video clip fromthe portion of video content. The operations can further compriseediting the video clip in accordance with user input at the mobilephone; attaching to the video clip additional video content provided atthe mobile phone to produce an extended video clip; and converting aformat of the extended video clip, thereby producing a converted videoclip and enabling presentation of the converted video clip at arecipient device. The operations can also comprise transmitting theconverted video clip to the recipient device via the messaging client.The media processor and the mobile phone comprise a natively integrateddevice; accordingly, the converted video clip can be acquired, producedand transmitted without installation of an application on the mobilephone being required, and the media processor and the mobile phone canbe mutually authenticated.

In one or more embodiments, the communication system 400 can include asuper head-end office (SHO) 410 with at least one super headend officeserver (SHS) 411 which receives media content from satellite and/orterrestrial communication systems. In the present context, media contentcan represent, for example, audio content, moving image content such as2D or 3D videos, video games, virtual reality content, still imagecontent, and combinations thereof. The SHS server 411 can forwardpackets associated with the media content to one or more video head-endservers (VHS) 414 via a network of video head-end offices (VHO) 412according to a multicast communication protocol. The VHS 414 candistribute multimedia broadcast content via an access network 418 tocommercial and/or residential buildings 402 housing a gateway 404 (suchas a residential or commercial gateway).

The access network 418 can represent a group of digital subscriber lineaccess multiplexers (DSLAMs) located in a central office or a servicearea interface that provide broadband services over fiber optical linksor copper twisted pairs 419 to buildings 402. The gateway 404 can usecommunication technology to distribute broadcast signals to mediaprocessors 406 such as Set-Top Boxes (STBs) which in turn presentbroadcast channels to media devices 408 such as computers or televisionsets managed in some instances by a media controller 407 (such as aninfrared or RF remote controller). Unicast communications can also beinvoked between the media processors 406 and subsystems of the IPTVmedia system for services such as video-on-demand (VoD), browsing anelectronic programming guide (EPG), or other infrastructure services.

The gateway 404, the media processors 406, and media devices 408 canutilize tethered communication technologies (such as coaxial, powerlineor phone line wiring) or can operate over a wireless access protocolsuch as Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), Bluetooth®, Zigbee®, or other presentor next generation local or personal area wireless network technologies.In particular, in the embodiments discussed above with reference toFIGS. 1-2, the STB 101 and mobile phone 102, can communicate over anInternet-accessible WiFi network. Alternatively, the STB and mobilephone can communicate using LTE technology, a direct WiFi connection, aBluetooth connection, etc.

A satellite broadcast television system 429 can be used in the mediasystem of FIG. 4 to deliver content to a media processor (for example,STB 101 in FIG. 1 or media processor 406 in FIG. 4). The satellitebroadcast television system can be overlaid, operably coupled with, orreplace the IPTV system as another representative embodiment ofcommunication system 400. In this embodiment, signals transmitted by asatellite 415 that include media content can be received by a satellitedish receiver 431 coupled to the building 402. Modulated signalsreceived by the satellite dish receiver 431 can be transferred to themedia processors 406 for demodulating, decoding, encoding, and/ordistributing broadcast channels to the media devices 408. The mediaprocessors 406 can be equipped with a broadband port to an InternetService Provider (ISP) network 432 to enable interactive services suchas VoD and EPG as described above. Alternatively, content can bedistributed via a streaming service (using, for example, cloudcomputing).

In yet another embodiment, an analog or digital cable broadcastdistribution system such as cable TV system 433 can be overlaid,operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system and/or the satelliteTV system as another representative embodiment of communication system400. In this embodiment, the cable TV system 433 can also provideInternet, telephony, and interactive media services. System 400 enablesvarious types of interactive television and/or services including IPTV,cable and/or satellite.

The subject disclosure can apply to other present or next generationover-the-air and/or landline media content services system.

Some of the network elements of the IPTV media system can be coupled toone or more computing devices 430, a portion of which can operate as aweb server for providing web portal services over the ISP network 432 towireline media devices 408 or wireless communication devices 416.

In communication system 400, all or a portion of the computing devices430 can function as video content provider servers (herein referred toas server 430). The server 430 can use computing and communicationtechnology to perform video content management functions, which caninclude among other things, digital rights management (DRM). The mediaprocessors 406 and wireless communication devices 416 can be provisionedwith software functions respectively, to utilize the services of server430. For instance, functions of media processors 406 and wirelesscommunication devices 416 can be similar to the functions described forSTB 101 and mobile devices 102, 221 of FIGS. 1-2 in accordance withmethod 300 of FIG. 3.

Multiple forms of media services can be offered to media devices overlandline technologies such as those described above. Additionally, mediaservices can be offered to media devices by way of a wireless accessbase station 417 operating according to common wireless access protocolssuch as Global System for Mobile or GSM, Code Division Multiple Accessor CDMA, Time Division Multiple Access or TDMA, Universal MobileTelecommunications or UMTS, World interoperability for Microwave orWiMAX, Software Defined Radio or SDR, Long Term Evolution or LTE, and soon. Other present and next generation wide area wireless access networktechnologies can be used in one or more embodiments of the subjectdisclosure.

The server 430 of FIG. 4 can be operably coupled to communication system500 for purposes similar to those described above. Server 430 canprovide communications services to the communication devices of FIGS.1-2, which can be adapted with software to utilize the services of theserver 430. Server 430 can also be an integral part of the contentprovider system discussed above with regard to the method 300.

It will be appreciated that natively integrated devices according tovarious embodiments of the disclosure, examples of which are describedherein, can be used in mobile communications including, but not limitedto, fourth generation long term evolution (4G LTE) communicationsdescribed in whole or in part by standards bodies such as ThirdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP). Embodiments of the disclosure mayalso be applicable to technologies evolving from 4G LTE, such as LTEAdvanced (3GPP Release 10), LTE Advanced Pro (3GPP Release 13), andfifth generation radio access networks (5G RAN).

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of an architecture 500 for anetwork for interacting with mobile communication devices. According toan embodiment of the disclosure, a mobile device 516 (which maycorrespond to a UE 110) can connect with one or more of the networksshown in FIG. 5 using a personal credential and a mobile device gateway.Mobile devices 516 may represent a variety of technologies (phones,tablets, etc.) and may have an end-to-end connection established witheither the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) 660, in the case ofvoice traffic, or an internet protocol network (Internet) 502, in thecase of data traffic. The architecture can include a Global System forMobile (GSM) network 520, a 3G network 530, and/or a Long Term Evolution(LTE) network 640. In particular, LTE specifications define anall-internet protocol architecture with voice over internet protocol(VoIP).

FIG. 5 also illustrates a device 515 accessing the network through abroadband connection 512 to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) 503. Anyof devices 515-516 can include a processing system including a processorand a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed bythe processing system, facilitate performance of operations. Theoperations can comprise receiving a first signal at a processor of amobile phone, where the first signal indicates that sharing of a portionof video content is to be performed. The video content can comprisecontent presented at a display device and viewed by a user of the mobilephone, where the display device is coupled to a media processor separatefrom the mobile phone. The operations can also comprise receiving asecond signal initiating a message via a messaging client of the mobilephone; obtaining the portion of video content from a first cacheaccessible to the media processor; presenting the portion of videocontent at the mobile phone; and receiving a third signal representingat least one of a start time and a stop time defining an endpoint of avideo clip from the portion of video content. The operations can alsocomprise attaching to the video clip additional video content providedat the mobile phone, thereby producing an extended video clip;converting a format of the extended video clip, thereby producing aconverted video clip and enabling presentation of the converted videoclip at a recipient device; and transmitting the converted video clip tothe recipient device via the messaging client. The first user can be afirst subscriber to a content provider system in communication with themedia processor, and the recipient device can be a mobile device of asecond subscriber to the content provider system. The media processorand the mobile phone comprise a natively integrated device; accordingly,the converted video clip is produced and transmitted withoutinstallation of an application on the mobile phone being required.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a communication system 600 in which oneor more embodiments of the subject disclosure may be implemented. MobileStation 601 may be one of, but not limited to, a cellular telephone, acellular telephone in combination with another electronic device or anyother wireless mobile communication device. According to an embodimentof the disclosure, Mobile Station 601 and/or User Equipment 602 cancommunicate wirelessly with one or more of the systems shown in FIG. 6.

Mobile Station 601 may communicate wirelessly with Base Station System(BSS) 610. BSS 610 contains a Base Station Controller (BSC) 611 and aBase Transceiver Station (BTS) 612. BSS 610 may include a single BSC611/BTS 612 pair (Base Station) or a system of BSC/BTS pairs which arepart of a larger network. BSS 610 is responsible for communicating withMobile Station 601 and may support one or more cells. BSS 610 isresponsible for handling cellular traffic and signaling between MobileStation 601 and Core Network 640. BSS 610 can perform functions thatinclude, but are not limited to, digital conversion of speech channels,allocation of channels to mobile devices, paging, andtransmission/reception of cellular signals.

Additionally, Mobile Station 601 may communicate wirelessly with RadioNetwork System (RNS) 620. RNS 620 contains a Radio Network Controller(RNC) 621 and one or more Node(s) B 622. RNS 620 may support one or morecells. RNS 620 may also include one or more RNC 621/Node B 622 pairs oralternatively a single RNC 621 may manage multiple Nodes B 622. RNS 620is responsible for communicating with Mobile Station 601 in itsgeographically defined area. RNC 621 is responsible for controlling theNode(s) B 622 that are connected to it and is a control element in aUMTS radio access network. RNC 621 can perform functions such as, butnot limited to, load control, packet scheduling, handover control,security functions, as well as controlling access by Mobile Station 601access to the Core Network (CN).

The evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) 630 is aradio access network that provides wireless data communications forMobile Station 601 and User Equipment 602. E-UTRAN 630 provides higherdata rates than traditional UMTS. It is part of the Long Term Evolution(LTE) upgrade for mobile networks; later releases meet the requirementsof the International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) Advanced and arecommonly known as a 4G networks. E-UTRAN 630 may include a series oflogical network components such as E-UTRAN Node B (eNB) 631 and E-UTRANNode B (eNB) 632. E-UTRAN 630 may contain one or more eNBs. UserEquipment 602 may be any user device capable of connecting to E-UTRAN630 including, but not limited to, a personal computer, laptop, mobiledevice, wireless router, or other device capable of wirelessconnectivity to E-UTRAN 630. The improved performance of the E-UTRAN 630relative to a typical UMTS network allows for increased bandwidth,spectral efficiency, and functionality including, but not limited to,voice, high-speed applications, large data transfer and IPTV, whilestill allowing for full mobility.

An exemplary embodiment of a mobile data and communication service thatmay be implemented in the PLMN architecture described in FIG. 6 is theEnhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE). EDGE is an enhancement forGPRS networks that implements an improved signal modulation scheme knownas 9-PSK (Phase Shift Keying). By increasing network utilization, EDGEmay achieve up to three times faster data rates as compared to a typicalGPRS network. EDGE may be implemented on any GSM network capable ofhosting a GPRS network, making it an ideal upgrade over GPRS since itmay provide increased functionality of existing network resources.Evolved EDGE networks are becoming standardized in later releases of theradio telecommunication standards, which provide for even greaterefficiency and peak data rates of up to 1 Mbit/s, while still allowingimplementation on existing GPRS-capable network infrastructure.

Mobile Station 601 may communicate with any or all of BSS 610, RNS 620,or E-UTRAN 630. In an illustrative system, each of BSS 610, RNS 620, andE-UTRAN 630 may provide Mobile Station 601 with access to Core Network640. The Core Network 640 may include of a series of devices that routedata and communications between end users. Core Network 640 may providenetwork service functions to users in the Circuit Switched (CS) domain,the Packet Switched (PS) domain or both. The CS domain refers toconnections in which dedicated network resources are allocated at thetime of connection establishment and then released when the connectionis terminated. The PS domain refers to communications and data transfersthat make use of autonomous groupings of bits called packets. Eachpacket may be routed, manipulated, processed or handled independently ofall other packets in the PS domain and does not require dedicatednetwork resources.

The Circuit Switched—Media Gateway Function (CS-MGW) 641 is part of CoreNetwork 640, and interacts with Visitor Location Register (VLR) andMobile-Services Switching Center (MSC) Server 660 and Gateway MSC Server661 in order to facilitate Core Network 640 resource control in the CSdomain. Functions of CS-MGW 641 include, but are not limited to, mediaconversion, bearer control, payload processing and other mobile networkprocessing such as handover or anchoring. CS-MGW 641 may receiveconnections to Mobile Station 601 through BSS 610, RNS 620 or both.

Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) 642 stores subscriber data regardingMobile Station 601 in order to facilitate network functionality. SGSN642 may store subscription information such as, but not limited to, theInternational Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), temporary identities,or Packet Data Protocol (PDP) addresses. SGSN 642 may also storelocation information such as, but not limited to, the Gateway GPRSSupport Node (GGSN) 644 address for each GGSN where an active PDPexists. GGSN 644 may implement a location register function to storesubscriber data it receives from SGSN 642 such as subscription orlocation information.

Serving Gateway (S-GW) 643 is an interface which provides connectivitybetween E-UTRAN 630 and Core Network 640. Functions of S-GW 643 include,but are not limited to, packet routing, packet forwarding, transportlevel packet processing, event reporting to Policy and Charging RulesFunction (PCRF) 650, and mobility anchoring for inter-network mobility.PCRF 650 uses information gathered from S-GW 643, as well as othersources, to make applicable policy and charging decisions related todata flows, network resources and other network administrationfunctions. Packet Data Network Gateway (PDN-GW) 645 may provideuser-to-services connectivity functionality including, but not limitedto, network-wide mobility anchoring, bearer session anchoring andcontrol, and IP address allocation for PS domain connections.

Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 663 is a database for user information; HSS663 can store subscription data regarding Mobile Station 601 or UserEquipment 602 for handling calls or data sessions. Networks may containone HSS 663, or more if additional resources are required. Exemplarydata stored by HSS 663 include, but is not limited to, useridentification, numbering and addressing information, securityinformation, or location information. HSS 663 may also provide call orsession establishment procedures in both the PS and CS domains.

The VLR/MSC Server 660 can provide user location functionality. In anembodiment, when Mobile Station 601 enters a new network location, itbegins a registration procedure. A MSC Server for that locationtransfers the location information to the VLR for the area. A VLR andMSC Server may be located in the same computing environment, as is shownby VLR/MSC Server 660, or alternatively may be located in separatecomputing environments. A VLR may contain, but is not limited to, userinformation such as the IMSI, the Temporary Mobile Station Identity(TMSI), the Local Mobile Station Identity (LMSI), the last knownlocation of the mobile station, or the SGSN where the mobile station waspreviously registered. The MSC server may contain information such as,but not limited to, procedures for Mobile Station 601 registration orprocedures for handover of Mobile Station 601 to a different section ofthe Core Network 640. GMSC Server 661 may serve as a connection toalternate GMSC Servers for other mobile stations in larger networks.

Equipment Identity Register (EIR) 662 is a logical element which maystore the International Mobile Equipment Identities (IMEI) for MobileStation 601. In a typical embodiment, user equipment may be classifiedas either “white listed” or “black listed” depending on its status inthe network. In one embodiment, if Mobile Station 601 is stolen and putto use by an unauthorized user, it may be registered as “black listed”in EIR 662, preventing its use on the network. Mobility ManagementEntity (MME) 664 is a control node which may track Mobile Station 601 orUser Equipment 602 if the devices are idle. Additional functionality mayinclude the ability of MME 664 to contact an idle Mobile Station 601 orUser Equipment 602 if retransmission of a previous session is required.

FIG. 7 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a web portal 702 of acommunication system 700. Communication system 700 can be overlaid oroperably coupled with systems 100 and 200 of FIGS. 1 and/or 2, asanother representative embodiment of communication systems 400-600. Theweb portal 702 can be used for managing services of systems 100 and 200of FIGS. 1 and/or 2, and communication systems 400-600. A web page ofthe web portal 702 can be accessed by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL)with an Internet browser using an Internet-capable communication devicesuch as those described in FIGS. 1 and/or 2 and FIGS. 4-5. The webportal 702 can be configured, for example, to access a media processor406 and services managed thereby such as a Digital Video Recorder (DVR),a Video on Demand (VoD) catalog, an Electronic Programming Guide (EPG),or a personal catalog (such as personal videos, pictures, audiorecordings, etc.) stored at the media processor 406. The web portal 702can also be used for provisioning Internet services, provisioningcellular phone services, and so on.

The web portal 702 can further be utilized to manage and provisionsoftware applications to adapt these applications as may be desired bysubscribers and/or service providers of systems 100-200 of FIGS. 1and/or 2, and communication systems 400-600. Such applications can beused to extend the native sharing functions of the STB and mobile devicedescribed above. For instance, subscribers can log into their on-lineaccounts and provision the server 430 with contact information to enablecommunication with devices described in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4. Serviceproviders can log onto an administrator account to provision, monitorand/or maintain the systems 100-200 of FIGS. 1 and/or 2 or server 430.

FIG. 8 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device 800.Communication device 800 can serve in whole or in part as anillustrative embodiment of the devices depicted in FIGS. 1-2 and FIGS.4-6, and can be configured to perform portions of method 300 of FIG. 3.

Communication device 800 can comprise a wireline and/or wirelesstransceiver 802 (herein transceiver 802), a user interface (UI) 804, apower supply 814, a location receiver 816, a motion sensor 818, anorientation sensor 820, and a controller 806 for managing operationsthereof. The transceiver 802 can support short-range or long-rangewireless access technologies such as Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, WiFi, DECT, orcellular communication technologies, just to mention a few (Bluetooth®and ZigBee® are trademarks registered by the Bluetooth® Special InterestGroup and the ZigBee® Alliance, respectively). Cellular technologies caninclude, for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO,WiMAX, SDR, LTE, as well as other next generation wireless communicationtechnologies as they arise. The transceiver 802 can also be adapted tosupport circuit-switched wireline access technologies (such as PSTN),packet-switched wireline access technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP,etc.), and combinations thereof.

The UI 804 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 808 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or anavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device800. The keypad 808 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 800 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or awireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth®. The keypad 808 canrepresent a numeric keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTYkeypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 804 can further include a display810 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED(Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology forconveying images to an end user of the communication device 800. In anembodiment where the display 810 is touch-sensitive, a portion or all ofthe keypad 808 can be presented by way of the display 810 withnavigation features.

The display 810 can use touch screen technology to also serve as a userinterface for detecting user input. As a touch screen display, thecommunication device 800 can be adapted to present a user interface withgraphical user interface (GUI) elements that can be selected by a userwith a touch of a finger. The touch screen display 810 can be equippedwith capacitive, resistive or other forms of sensing technology todetect how much surface area of a user's finger has been placed on aportion of the touch screen display. This sensing information can beused to control the manipulation of the GUI elements or other functionsof the user interface. The display 810 can be an integral part of thehousing assembly of the communication device 800 or an independentdevice communicatively coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface(such as a cable) or a wireless interface.

The UI 804 can also include an audio system 812 that utilizes audiotechnology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heard inproximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such as speakerphonefor hands free operation). The audio system 812 can further include amicrophone for receiving audible signals of an end user. The audiosystem 812 can also be used for voice recognition applications. The UI804 can further include an image sensor 813 such as a charged coupleddevice (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 814 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and/or charging system technologies for supplying energyto the components of the communication device 800 to facilitatelong-range or short-range portable applications. Alternatively, or incombination, the charging system can utilize external power sources suchas DC power supplied over a physical interface such as a USB port orother suitable tethering technologies.

The location receiver 816 can utilize location technology such as aglobal positioning system (GPS) receiver capable of assisted GPS foridentifying a location of the communication device 800 based on signalsgenerated by a constellation of GPS satellites, which can be used forfacilitating location services such as navigation. The motion sensor 818can utilize motion sensing technology such as an accelerometer, agyroscope, or other suitable motion sensing technology to detect motionof the communication device 800 in three-dimensional space. Theorientation sensor 820 can utilize orientation sensing technology suchas a magnetometer to detect the orientation of the communication device800 (north, south, west, and east, as well as combined orientations indegrees, minutes, or other suitable orientation metrics).

The communication device 800 can use the transceiver 802 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth®, or other wirelessaccess points by sensing techniques such as utilizing a received signalstrength indicator (RSSI) and/or signal time of arrival (TOA) or time offlight (TOF) measurements. The controller 806 can utilize computingtechnologies such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP),programmable gate arrays, application specific integrated circuits,and/or a video processor with associated storage memory such as Flash,ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies for executingcomputer instructions, controlling, and processing data supplied by theaforementioned components of the communication device 800.

Other components not shown in FIG. 8 can be used in one or moreembodiments of the subject disclosure. For instance, the communicationdevice 800 can include a reset button (not shown). The reset button canbe used to reset the controller 806 of the communication device 800. Inyet another embodiment, the communication device 800 can also include afactory default setting button positioned, for example, below a smallhole in a housing assembly of the communication device 800 to force thecommunication device 800 to re-establish factory settings. In thisembodiment, a user can use a protruding object such as a pen or paperclip tip to reach into the hole and depress the default setting button.The communication device 800 can also include a slot for adding orremoving an identity module such as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)card. SIM cards can be used for identifying subscriber services,executing programs, storing subscriber data, and so forth.

The communication device 800 as described herein can operate with moreor less of the circuit components shown in FIG. 8. These variantembodiments can be used in one or more embodiments of the subjectdisclosure.

The communication device 800 can be adapted to perform the functions ofdevices of FIGS. 1 and/or 2, the media processor 406, the media devices408, or the portable communication devices 416, 516, 601 of FIGS. 4-6.It will be appreciated that the communication device 800 can alsorepresent other devices that can operate in systems of FIGS. 1 and/or 2,and in communication system 400 such as a gaming console and a mediaplayer.

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope of theclaims described below. Other embodiments can be used in the subjectdisclosure.

It should be understood that devices described in the exemplaryembodiments can be in communication with each other via various wirelessand/or wired methodologies. The methodologies can be links that aredescribed as coupled, connected and so forth, which can includeunidirectional and/or bidirectional communication over wireless pathsand/or wired paths that utilize one or more of various protocols ormethodologies, where the coupling and/or connection can be direct (e.g.,no intervening processing device) and/or indirect (e.g., an intermediaryprocessing device such as a router).

FIG. 9 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 900 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethods described above. One or more instances of the machine canoperate, for example, as the server 430, the media processor 406, theSTB 101, the mobile device 102 and other devices of FIGS. 1-2 and 4-6.In some embodiments, the machine may be connected (e.g., using a network926) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine mayoperate in the capacity of a server or a client user machine in aserver-client user network environment, or as a peer machine in apeer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet, a smart phone, a laptop computer, adesktop computer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge,or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a communication device of the subject disclosureincludes broadly any electronic device that provides voice, video ordata communication. Further, while a single machine is illustrated, theterm “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machinesthat individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) ofinstructions to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein.

The computer system 900 may include a processor (or controller) 902(e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)), a graphics processing unit(GPU, or both), a main memory 904 and a static memory 906, whichcommunicate with each other via a bus 908. The computer system 900 mayfurther include a display unit 910 (e.g., a liquid crystal display(LCD), a flat panel, or a solid state display). The computer system 900may include an input device 912 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor controldevice 914 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 916, a signal generationdevice 918 (e.g., a speaker or remote control) and a network interfacedevice 920. In distributed environments, the embodiments described inthe subject disclosure can be adapted to utilize multiple display units910 controlled by two or more computer systems 900. In thisconfiguration, presentations described by the subject disclosure may inpart be shown in a first of the display units 910, while the remainingportion is presented in a second of the display units 910.

The disk drive unit 916 may include a tangible computer-readable storagemedium 922 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g.,software 924) embodying any one or more of the methods or functionsdescribed herein, including those methods illustrated above. Theinstructions 924 may also reside, completely or at least partially,within the main memory 904, the static memory 906, and/or within theprocessor 902 during execution thereof by the computer system 900. Themain memory 904 and the processor 902 also may constitute tangiblecomputer-readable storage media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Application specific integrated circuits andprogrammable logic array can use downloadable instructions for executingstate machines and/or circuit configurations to implement embodiments ofthe subject disclosure. Applications that may include the apparatus andsystems of various embodiments broadly include a variety of electronicand computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions in two ormore specific interconnected hardware modules or devices with relatedcontrol and data signals communicated between and through the modules,or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Thus, theexample system is applicable to software, firmware, and hardwareimplementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the subject disclosure, theoperations or methods described herein are intended for operation assoftware programs or instructions running on or executed by a computerprocessor or other computing device, and which may include other formsof instructions manifested as a state machine implemented with logiccomponents in an application specific integrated circuit or fieldprogrammable gate array. Furthermore, software implementations (e.g.,software programs, instructions, etc.) including, but not limited to,distributed processing or component/object distributed processing,parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can also beconstructed to implement the methods described herein. Distributedprocessing environments can include multiple processors in a singlemachine, single processors in multiple machines, and/or multipleprocessors in multiple machines. It is further noted that a computingdevice such as a processor, a controller, a state machine or othersuitable device for executing instructions to perform operations ormethods may perform such operations directly or indirectly by way of oneor more intermediate devices directed by the computing device.

While the tangible computer-readable storage medium 922 is shown in anexample embodiment to be a single medium, the term “tangiblecomputer-readable storage medium” should be taken to include a singlemedium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database,and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets ofinstructions. The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any non-transitory medium that is capable ofstoring or encoding a set of instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods ofthe subject disclosure. The term “non-transitory” as in a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage includes without limitation memories, drives,devices and anything tangible but not a signal per se.

The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shall accordinglybe taken to include, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such asa memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only(non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable(volatile) memories, a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a diskor tape, or other tangible media which can be used to store information.Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one or more ofa tangible computer-readable storage medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are from time-to-timesuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Wireless standards for device detection (e.g.,RFID), short-range communications (e.g., Bluetooth®, WiFi, Zigbee®), andlong-range communications (e.g., WiMAX, GSM, CDMA, LTE) can be used bycomputer system 900. In one or more embodiments, information regardinguse of services can be generated including services being accessed,media consumption history, user preferences, and so forth. Thisinformation can be obtained by various methods including user input,detecting types of communications (e.g., video content vs. audiocontent), analysis of content streams, and so forth. The generating,obtaining and/or monitoring of this information can be responsive to anauthorization provided by the user. In one or more embodiments, ananalysis of data can be subject to authorization from user(s) associatedwith the data, such as an opt-in, an opt-out, acknowledgementrequirements, notifications, selective authorization based on types ofdata, and so forth.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Theexemplary embodiments can include combinations of features and/or stepsfrom multiple embodiments. Other embodiments may be utilized and derivedtherefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changesmay be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Figuresare also merely representational and may not be drawn to scale. Certainproportions thereof may be exaggerated, while others may be minimized.Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement which achieves thesame or similar purpose may be substituted for the embodiments describedor shown by the subject disclosure. The subject disclosure is intendedto cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, can be used in the subject disclosure.For instance, one or more features from one or more embodiments can becombined with one or more features of one or more other embodiments. Inone or more embodiments, features that are positively recited can alsobe negatively recited and excluded from the embodiment with or withoutreplacement by another structural and/or functional feature. The stepsor functions described with respect to the embodiments of the subjectdisclosure can be performed in any order. The steps or functionsdescribed with respect to the embodiments of the subject disclosure canbe performed alone or in combination with other steps or functions ofthe subject disclosure, as well as from other embodiments or from othersteps that have not been described in the subject disclosure. Further,more than or less than all of the features described with respect to anembodiment can also be utilized.

Less than all of the steps or functions described with respect to theexemplary processes or methods can also be performed in one or more ofthe exemplary embodiments. Further, the use of numerical terms todescribe a device, component, step or function, such as first, second,third, and so forth, is not intended to describe an order or functionunless expressly stated so. The use of the terms first, second, thirdand so forth, is generally to distinguish between devices, components,steps or functions unless expressly stated otherwise. Additionally, oneor more devices or components described with respect to the exemplaryembodiments can facilitate one or more functions, where the facilitating(e.g., facilitating access or facilitating establishing a connection)can include less than every step needed to perform the function or caninclude all of the steps needed to perform the function.

In one or more embodiments, a processor (which can include a controlleror circuit) has been described that performs various functions. Itshould be understood that the processor can be multiple processors,which can include distributed processors or parallel processors in asingle machine or multiple machines. The processor can be used insupporting a virtual processing environment. The virtual processingenvironment may support one or more virtual machines representingcomputers, servers, or other computing devices. In such virtualmachines, components such as microprocessors and storage devices may bevirtualized or logically represented. The processor can include a statemachine, application specific integrated circuit, and/or programmablegate array including a Field PGA. In one or more embodiments, when aprocessor executes instructions to perform “operations”, this caninclude the processor performing the operations directly and/orfacilitating, directing, or cooperating with another device or componentto perform the operations.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided with the understanding thatit will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can beseen that various features are grouped together in a single embodimentfor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method ofdisclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that theclaimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited ineach claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subjectmatter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment.Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the DetailedDescription, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimedsubject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mobile device comprising: a processing systemincluding a processor; and a memory that stores executable instructionsthat, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance ofoperations comprising: initiating a message using a messaging clientexecuting on the mobile device, the initiating in response to a firstuser input at the mobile device; receiving a second user input duringpresentation of video content at a display device coupled to a mediaprocessor, the second user input corresponding to a selection from amessaging menu presented by the messaging client at the display device,the selection indicating that sharing of a portion of the video contentis to be performed; obtaining a portion of the video content from themedia processor; defining a video clip based on the portion of the videocontent, wherein the defining comprises determining one of a start timeor a stop time for the video clip in accordance with a third user inputat the mobile device and determining a duration of the video clip inaccordance with a rights agreement relating to the portion of videocontent, wherein the duration of the video clip is limited by the rightsagreement, thereby yielding a limited duration for the video clip thatis permitted by the rights agreement; editing the video clip inaccordance with a fourth user input at the mobile device, wherein theediting is performed using functions native to the mobile device;converting a format of the video clip, thereby producing a convertedvideo clip and enabling presentation of the converted video clip at arecipient device; and transmitting the converted video clip to therecipient device, wherein the converted video clip is produced andtransmitted without installation of an application on the mobile devicebeing required.
 2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the convertedvideo clip is transmitted via the messaging client.
 3. The mobile deviceof claim 1, wherein the portion of the video content is obtained from acache of the media processor.
 4. The mobile device of claim 3, whereinthe cache stores video content presented within a predetermined timeperiod ending at a present time.
 5. The mobile device of claim 1,wherein the operations further comprise presenting the portion of videocontent at the mobile device.
 6. The mobile device of claim 1, whereinthe duration of the video clip is determined in accordance with rightsmanagement performed by a content provider system in communication withthe media processor.
 7. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein theoperations further comprise attaching to the video clip additionalcontent captured at the mobile device.
 8. The mobile device of claim 7,wherein the converting comprises converting a first format of the videoclip, and further comprising converting a second format of theadditional content.
 9. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the mobiledevice and the media processor are mutually authenticated.
 10. Themobile device of claim 1, wherein the functions native to the mobiledevice are integrated with the media processor, the mobile device andthe media processor accordingly comprising a natively integrated device.11. A method comprising: initiating, by a processing system including aprocessor of a mobile communication device in response to a first userinput at the mobile communication device, a message using a messagingclient executing on the mobile communication device; receiving, by theprocessing system, a second user input during presentation of videocontent at a display device coupled to a media processor, the seconduser input corresponding to a selection from a messaging menu presentedby the messaging client at the display device, the selection indicatingthat sharing of a portion of the video content is to be performed;obtaining, by the processing system, a portion of the video content fromthe media processor; defining, by the processing system, a video clipfrom the portion of the video content, wherein the defining comprisesdetermining one of a start time or a stop time for the video clip inaccordance with a third user input at the mobile communication deviceand determining a duration of the video clip in accordance with a rightsagreement relating to the portion of video content, wherein the durationof the video clip is limited by the rights agreement, thereby yielding alimited duration for the video clip that is permitted by the rightsagreement; editing, by the processing system using functions native tothe mobile communication device, the video clip; converting, by theprocessing system, a format of the video clip, thereby producing aconverted video clip and enabling presentation of the converted videoclip at a recipient device; and transmitting, by the processing system,the converted video clip to the recipient device, wherein the convertedvideo clip is produced and transmitted without installation of anapplication on the mobile communication device being required.
 12. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the editing is performed in accordance witha fourth user input at the mobile communication device.
 13. The methodof claim 11, wherein the converted video clip is transmitted via themessaging client.
 14. The method of claim 11, further comprisingattaching, by the processing system, to the video clip additionalcontent captured at the mobile communication device.
 15. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the mobile communication device and the mediaprocessor are mutually authenticated.
 16. A non-transitorymachine-readable medium comprising executable instructions that, whenexecuted by a processing system including a processor of a mobilecommunication device, facilitate performance of operations comprising:initiating a message using a messaging client executing on the mobilecommunication device, the initiating in response to a first user inputat the mobile communication device; receiving a second user input duringpresentation of video content at a display device coupled to a mediaprocessor, the second user input corresponding to a selection from amessaging menu presented by the messaging client at the display device,the selection indicating that sharing of a portion of the video contentis to be performed; obtaining a portion of the video content from themedia processor; defining a video clip based on the portion of the videocontent, wherein the defining comprises determining one of a start timeor a stop time for the video clip in accordance with a third user inputat the mobile communication device and determining a duration of thevideo clip in accordance with a rights agreement relating to the portionof video content, wherein the duration of the video clip is limited bythe rights agreement, thereby yielding a limited duration for the videoclip that is permitted by the rights agreement; editing the video clipusing functions native to the mobile communication device; converting aformat of the video clip, thereby producing a converted video clip andenabling presentation of the converted video clip at a recipient device;and transmitting the converted video clip to the recipient device,wherein the converted video clip is produced and transmitted withoutinstallation of an application on the mobile communication device beingrequired.
 17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16,wherein the editing is performed in accordance with a fourth user inputat the mobile communication device.
 18. The non-transitorymachine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the converted video clip istransmitted via the messaging client.
 19. The non-transitorymachine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operations furthercomprise attaching to the video clip additional content captured at themobile communication device.
 20. The non-transitory machine-readablemedium of claim 16, wherein the mobile communication device and themedia processor are mutually authenticated.